The High Line is property of the City of New York and under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks & Recreation.

It is managed in partnership with Friends of the High Line.

Plant Flags

By adminNovember 5, 2009

Plant flags in the Gansevoort Woodland. Photo by Auzelle Epeneter.

If you've visited the High Line recently, you've probably noticed planting areas marked with red and blue flags. We've been getting a lot of questions about them. Their purpose is simple – not for marking pesticides; not for quarantine; not for targeting removal – we're doing an inventory.

Since the High Line's opening, the layout of the vegetation has evolved. Some of the plants have spread, some have given way to others, and in some cases, completely new species and varieties have been added. It will be helpful to have a record of the existing plants, so we're creating it by hand.

The flags make the process infinitely easier. Last week, I helped record the Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) – pictured above – and we counted over 200 plants in just a single bed!

High Line gardener Andi Lawton counting plants in the Gansevoort Woodland.Photo by Auzelle Epeneter.